Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'expire'

English Word: expire

Key Russian Translations:

• истечь [ˈistʲitɕ] - [Formal, used for official or time-based contexts]
• закончиться [zəkɐˈnʲitɕsə] - [Informal, everyday usage for general endings]
• просрочить [prəsɐˈt͡ɕitʲ] - [Formal, specifically for overdue items like documents or payments]

Frequency: Medium (commonly used in contexts involving dates, documents, and deadlines, but not as frequent as basic verbs like "to be" or "to go")

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate, according to CEFR; requires understanding of verb conjugations and aspect, with истечь being slightly more challenging due to its perfective aspect, while закончиться is more straightforward for beginners)

Pronunciation (Russian):

истечь: [ˈistʲitɕ]

Note on истечь: This verb has a soft 'т' sound, which can be tricky for English speakers; stress is on the first syllable, and it's often pronounced with a slight emphasis in formal speech.

закончиться: [zəkɐˈnʲitɕsə]

Note on закончиться: The 'ч' is a soft palatal fricative; pay attention to the vowel reduction in unstressed syllables, common in Russian.

просрочить: [prəsɐˈt͡ɕitʲ]

Note on просрочить: The 'ч' sound is similar to 'ch' in 'church', but softer; this word is often used in business contexts.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To come to an end, especially regarding time, validity, or a period (e.g., a document expiring).

Translation(s) & Context:

• истечь - Used in formal or legal contexts, such as visas or contracts; implies a natural end to a time period.
• закончиться - Informal everyday contexts, like food going bad or a subscription ending.

Usage Examples:

• Мой паспорт истёк в прошлом году, поэтому мне нужно оформить новый.

  My passport expired last year, so I need to get a new one. (Shows formal usage in administrative contexts.)

• Срок действия карты закончился, и теперь она не работает.

  The card's validity has expired, and now it doesn't work. (Illustrates informal usage with everyday objects.)

• Если вы не продлите подписку, она просрочит через неделю.

  If you don't renew your subscription, it will expire in a week. (Demonstrates future tense and proactive context.)

• В контракте указано, что лицензия истечёт ровно через год.

  The contract states that the license will expire exactly in one year. (Highlights precise timing in legal language.)

Meaning 2: To breathe out or exhale (less common, literal sense).

Translation(s) & Context:

• выдохнуть - Used in medical or physiological contexts; more direct for the act of expiring air.

Usage Examples:

• Врач попросил меня выдохнуть в трубку для теста.

  The doctor asked me to exhale into the tube for the test. (Shows medical usage.)

• После бега я тяжело выдохнул, чтобы восстановить дыхание.

  After running, I exhaled heavily to catch my breath. (Illustrates physical exertion context.)

• Йога учит правильно выдохнуть, чтобы расслабиться.

  Yoga teaches you to exhale properly to relax. (Demonstrates wellness or mindfulness usage.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

These translations are primarily verbs, which in Russian undergo conjugation based on tense, aspect, person, and number. Russian verbs have imperfective and perfective aspects; for example, истечь is perfective, while истекать is its imperfective counterpart.

For non-changing forms, adverbs or nouns derived from these (e.g., просроченный as an adjective) remain stable in base form but agree in gender, number, and case if applicable.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms: закончиться (similar to expire in general use), просрочиться (for overdue items), истекать (imperfective form of истечь)
• Antonyms: продлиться (to extend), начаться (to begin), возобновиться (to renew)

Note: Закончиться is often interchangeable with истечь in informal speech, but истечь carries a more formal connotation.

Related Phrases:

• Срок истёк - The term has expired (used in legal or contractual contexts).
• Продукт просрочен - The product is expired (common in shopping or food safety discussions).
• Выдохнуть воздух - To exhale air (in health or exercise phrases).

Usage Notes:

Russian translations of "expire" depend on context: use истечь for formal, time-sensitive situations like official documents, as it aligns closely with the English legal sense. Закончиться is more versatile for everyday items but lacks the precise timing of истечь. Be mindful of verb aspect—perfective forms like these indicate completion, so pair with appropriate tenses. English speakers often overlook gender agreement in past tense forms, e.g., истекла for feminine subjects. When choosing between translations, opt for просрочить if implying fault or delay.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using истечь in informal contexts, e.g., saying "Моя еда истекла" instead of "Моя еда закончилась". Correct: Закончилась is more natural for food; Explanation: Истечь sounds overly formal and may confuse listeners in casual speech.
• Error: Forgetting aspect, e.g., using истекать (imperfective) when a completed action is needed. Correct: Use истечь for finished expiration; Explanation: Russian requires matching aspect to the context, unlike English's more flexible verbs.
• Error: Mispronouncing the soft consonants, e.g., saying [ˈistitɕ] instead of [ˈistʲitɕ]. Correct: Emphasize the palatalized 'т'; Explanation: This can make the word harder to understand, as pronunciation affects meaning in Russian.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like просрочить often relate to bureaucratic processes, reflecting the historical emphasis on paperwork in Soviet and post-Soviet systems. For instance, expired documents can lead to significant administrative hurdles, symbolizing the need for timeliness in daily life.

Related Concepts:

• просроченный
• срок действия
• выдох